US steps up pressure on China to cut off North Korea’s oil

“We know the main driver of [North Korea’s] nuclear production is oil. Through sanctions we have cut off 90 percent of North Korean trade and 30 percent of its oil. But the crude oil remains,” said Amb. Nikki Haley at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council yesterday. Haley noted that most of North Korea’s oil comes from China, and that when China turned off the spigot in 2003, it drove Pyongyang to the bargaining table.

“We need China to do more,” Haley said, adding that was the message President Trump delivered to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call. “We have come to the point that China must cut off the oil from North Korea.”

‘UTTERLY DESTROYED’: Haley also reiterated that there are only two ways this ends. Either North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons peacefully, or Kim’s regime will be destroyed by military force. “The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it. We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it. If war does come, it will be because of continued acts of aggression like we witnessed yesterday. And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.”

UTTERLY DEFIANT: North Korea unleashed another barrage of defiant rhetoric in an editorial in its state-run newspaper. “The successful launch of Hwasong-15 is a great event that proved that no force on the earth can block our dynamic advance toward the final victory of socialism,” said the Thursday edition of the Rodong Sinmun. “The DPRK conducted the successful test-fire of new-type ICBM despite the vicious challenges of the U.S. imperialists and their vassal forces and manifold difficulties. Thus it dealt a heavier blow to the enemies’ sanctions and pressure and fully displayed again the invincible spirit of socialist Korea advancing on the strength of self-reliance and self-development.”

SEEING IS BELIEVING: The U.S. has sophisticated intelligence-gathering methods to monitor and assess the capabilities of North Korea’s new Hwasong-15 missile, but it’s nice when the enemy just hands over close-up imagery. North Korea released dozens of photos and a video yesterday to bolster its claim that its latest ICBM is its most powerful today, capable of carrying a “super-heavy warhead,” to any target in the U.S. mainland.

The photos show not just the missile, but also the “TEL” or Transporter Erector Launcher, and helpfully includes a 5-foot, 7-inch Kim standing near the new mobile launcher to help calculate the size. The imagery appears to justify North Korea’s claim that Hwasong-15 is significantly bigger than the Hwasong-14 first tested over the summer. It’s also carried on a bigger mobile launcher, a truck with nine axles instead of eight on the previous version. The video of the actual launch shows the missile lifting off from a fixed launchpad, not the mobile launcher

The photos also show a big nose cone that could house a large, heavy nuclear warhead, but of course there’s no way to see what’s inside. The test at 3:17 a.m. Wednesday morning Korea time appears to demonstrate a missile with the range of 8,100 miles, but if the payload was a lightweight mock warhead, that could exaggerate the actual range.

David Wright, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Reuters that photos appear to show the missile with at least two large nozzles on its first stage, instead of the one large and several smaller nozzles on the Hwasong-14. “The first stage seems to use essentially the same case (as the Hwasong-14) but has two engines,” Wright said. “The second stage looks like it can carry more than twice as much propellant. The combination of those two things means it really is a new, more capable missile.”

RETURN OF LITTLE ROCKET MAN: Trump once again referred to Kim as a “little rocket man” in a speech about tax reform. Trump deviated from prepared remarks in Missouri after saying tax cuts would be “rocket fuel” for the U.S. economy. “Little rocket man,” he said, appearing to savor the pejorative. “He is a sick puppy,” Trump added, before moving on with the speech.

Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense.

HAPPENING TODAY: A rare visit to the Pentagon from prime minister of Libya is scheduled for this afternoon. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will welcome His Excellency Fayez Serraj in a ceremony on the steps of the River entrance at 4 p.m.

ACCUSATIONS IN SOMALIA: Three months later, questions hang over reports of civilian deaths from a joint U.S. mission in Bariire, Somalia. About a dozen U.S. special operations troops fired on 10 unarmed Somali civilians who were killed during the Aug. 25 mission and afterward ordered local forces to plant guns near the bodies, the Daily Beast has reported. The news site’s on-the-ground investigation found the special operators also relied on faulty intelligence and played a lead role in carrying out the Bariire mission, which was aimed at the al-Shabaab terror group but instead resulted in the deaths of farmers and at least one child. They instructed “their Somali counterparts to collect weapons that were being stored inside a home — not displaced on the field in the course of the firefight — and placing them beside the bodies of those killed prior to photographing them,” according to the report.

U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, or SOCAF, launched an investigation of the incident after reports of civilian deaths emerged in August. In a statement Wednesday that coincided with the Daily Beast report, the command said it has concluded “that the only casualties were those of armed enemy combatants.” It also said the mission was led by the Somali National Army, despite the Daily Beast reporting that the majority of shell casings recovered from the Bariire farm site were from American and not Somali weapons. “Before conducting operations with partner forces, SOCAF conducts detailed planning and coordination to reduce the likelihood of civilian casualties,” according to a released statement.

Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted: “The facts alleged in this @thedailybeast investigation are highly disturbing. Congress needs to hold hearings.”

WHAT IS THE U.S. DOING THERE? Funny you should ask. U.S. Africa Command has published an explainer on its website that attempts to inform the American public about the shadowy conflict where some 500 U.S. troops are battling al-Shabaab terrorists linked to al Qaeda, and more recently new groups aligned with the Islamic State. “In Somalia, just as it does across the continent, the U.S. military works with African partners to deter and defeat extremist organizations. AFRICOM works by, with and through African and other partners to address these threats,” the posting says. “Our policy is to support Somalia-led efforts to encourage members of the Al-Shabaab and ISIS to defect and pledge support to the Somali Government.”

MARINES COMING HOME: The Pentagon no longer announces when it’s sending new troops into combat, but it’s happy to tell us when they are coming home. A U.S. Central Command press release out this morning notes some 400 Marines from 1st Battalion, 10th Marines, who were providing artillery support to the U.S.-backed Syrian fighters liberating Raqqa, are now out of Syria. The Marines and their M777 howitzers are no longer needed and are not being replaced. “The departure of these outstanding Marines is a sign of real progress in the region,” said Brig. Gen. Jonathan Braga. “We’re drawing down combat forces where it makes sense, but still continuing our efforts to help Syrian and Iraqi partners maintain security.”

CIV CAS UPDATE: Central Command has also released its latest report on the number of unintended civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria, concluding that 801 civilians have died as the result of coalition airstrikes or other actions in Operation Inherent Resolve. Another 695 allegations are still under investigation. “During this period, the Coalition completed the assessment of 64 reports: 55 were assessed to be non-credible, four were assessed to be duplicates of previous reports, and five were assessed to be credible, resulting in 15 unintentional civilian deaths.”

NDAA GETS A SEND-OFF: Congress passed the $700 billion National Defense Authorization Act on Nov. 16. So why hasn’t Trump signed the annual policy bill into law? Lawmakers have not officially forwarded it to the White House. House Speaker Paul Ryan and members of the House Armed Services Committee will gather at 9:15 a.m. this morning for a so-called enrollment ceremony aimed at sending the NDAA to the president. Trump has touted the bill and is expected to sign it. The NDAA’s numerous policies and provisions will go into effect immediately after, but authorized purchases such as aircraft, ships and additional troops will have to wait. Congress has still not struck a deal on appropriations legislation that is needed to fund the NDAA. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks.

ORBITAL ACCEPTS NORTHROP PROPOSAL: Shareholders of Orbital ATK have approved a proposed $9.2 billion sale of the defense and aerospace tech company to defense giant Northrop Grumman. Orbital builds space launch vehicles, rockets and satellites, as well as munitions. Northrop, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, aims to acquire the company as the Pentagon’s interest in space warfare spikes. “The combination will provide increased competition, greater innovation and a broader set of capabilities, to help our customers solve their toughest challenges,” Northrop CEO Wes Bush said. But the acquisition deal still needs regulatory approval and Northrop expects it to be finalized in the first half of next year.

OVERSEAS ARMS SALES SURGE: U.S. government sales of defense hardware to overseas allies jumped to $42 billion during the past fiscal year, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. That is compared to about $33 billion in fiscal 2016. “This positive sales trend isn’t surprising as the United States is the global provider of choice for security cooperation,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, the DSCA director. The vast majority of the 2017 sales — $32 billion — was made through the Foreign Military Sales system, which is overseen by the State Department.

The department on Wednesday greenlit the sale of $415 million worth of laser-guided bomb equipment to Singapore. That potential sale includes GBU-10 Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb units, GBU-12 Paveway II LGB units, and FMU-152 or FMU-139D/B fuzes.

MCCAIN SMACKS AIR FORCE: The Air Force’s admission this week that it did not properly report dozens of criminal cases to gun-check databases shows a “disturbing lack of compliance and accountability,” Sen. John McCain said. His Senate Armed Services Committee wants a full explanation from the Air Force about how the service will solve the oversights allowing the Texas church shooter to buy the guns used in the massacre and several dozen other criminal cases to go unreported, McCain said. He also called out the other military services, saying they should check whether similar mistakes were made.

“Initial results of the Air Force review of criminal reporting to civilian law enforcement reveal a disturbing lack of compliance and accountability,” McCain said in a statement. “The fact that the tragic neglect in the case of Devin Kelley was not an isolated incident but rather part of a systemic failure to comply with current policy must be a call to action.” The Air Force said Tuesday the failure to report domestic violence crimes by Kelley, who used the purchased firearms to killed 25 churchgoers this month, was not an isolated incident and it had found other instances as it conducts its review.

GREAT JOB, YOU’RE FIRED: The Air Force fired Lt. Col. Jason Heard as director of the Thunderbirds air show last week due, in part, to concerns with his “leadership” style, according to a branch statement issued Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing commander, terminated the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron commander on Nov. 20 at the end of the group’s season.

“While Heard led the team through a highly successful show season, Leavitt lost confidence in his leadership and risk management style,” the Air Force statement read. “Leavitt determined that new leadership was necessary to ensure the highest levels of pride, precision, and professionalism within the team.”

THE RUNDOWN

AP: Trump threatens major sanctions after latest NKorea missile

Stars and Stripes: AFRICOM: Somalia’s new leaders are best hope to end the nation’s dysfunction

Washington Post: Navy censures retired admiral for taking gifts from ‘Fat Leonard’

Reuters: U.S. lawmaker says House intel panel near consensus on NSA spy program

New York Times: Philippines Killed Communist Rebels Near Manila, Military Says

Defense News: Will tax reform hurt Trump’s military buildup? GOP defense hawks are shrugging it off

Military Times: Pentagon weighs new requirements to secure military’s vulnerable power grid

Foreign Policy: #MeToo Is All Too Common in National Security

Wall Street Journal: War Criminal Dies After Swallowing Poison in Courtroom

USA Today: Can mega-boastful North Korea really nuke D.C.? Here’s what experts say.

Defense One: America Is Not Going to Denuclearize North Korea

Calendar

THURSDAY | NOV. 30

8 a.m. 2401 M St. NW. Defense Writers Group breakfast with Rep. Adam Smith.

8 a.m. 1800 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Special topic breakfast with Maj. Gen. David Coffman, director of expeditionary warfare. navyleague.org

9 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. A joint conference on Russia and North Korean nuclear weapons. wilsoncenter.org

10 a.m. Dirksen G-50. Testimony from outside experts on recommendations for a future National Defense Strategy. armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Nominations hearing for U.S. ambassadors. foreign.senate.gov

10 a.m. House Visitor Center 210. Worldwide threats: Keeping America secure in the new age of terror. homeland.house.gov

2 p.m. House Visitor Center 304. Open hearing in a closed space with testimony by Erik Prince. intelligence.house.gov

3:30 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Russia: Strategy, Policy, and Administration. wilsoncenter.org

FRIDAY | DEC. 1

8 a.m. Rayburn 2212. Hearing on amphibious warfare readiness and training, interoperability, shortfalls, and the way ahead with Lt. Gen. Brian Beaudreault, deputy Marine Corps commandant; Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, deputy chief of naval operations; and Cary Russell, director of defense capabilities and management team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. armedservices.house.gov

10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Middle East and Russia: American attitudes on Trump’s foreign policy. brookings.edu

1:30 p.m. 740 15th St. NW. Digital World War: Islamists, Extremists, and the Fight for Cyber Supremacy. newamerica.org

MONDAY | DEC. 4

8 a.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Defense Forum Washington 2017 with Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer. usni.org

12:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Rebuilding Syria: A localized revitalization strategy. atlanticcouncil.org

5 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Book discussion of “1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder” with author Arthur Herman. hudson.org

6 p.m. 1777 F St. NW. Book discussion of “Preventive Engagement: How America Can Avoid War, Stay Strong, and Keep the Peace” with author Paul Stares. cfr.org

TUESDAY | DEC. 5

8 a.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd. Security Cooperation Management Industry Course. ndia.org

8:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. PONI 2017 Winter Conference. csis.org

9:30 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Military readiness and early childhood: What is the link? aei.org

9:30 a.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. NW. Turmoil across the Middle East: What does it mean? wilsoncenter.org

10 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Public perspectives on the North Korean nuclear crisis. atlanticcouncil.org

2:30 p.m. Dirksen 419. The president, Congress, and shared authority over the international accords. foreign.senate.gov

WEDNESDAY | DEC. 6

9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. U.S. Army Futures Forum with Maj. Gen. William Hix, deputy chief of staff. atlanticcouncil.org

10 a.m. Dirksen 342. Full committee hearing on adapting to defend the homeland against the evolving international terrorist threat. hsgac.senate.gov

10:30 a.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. NW. Launch of the study The Leverage Paradox: Pakistan and the United States. wilsoncenter.org

11:15 a.m. 1777 F St. NW. Hacked Elections, Online Influence Operations, and the Threat to Democracy: Building a Foreign Policy Response. cfr.org

12 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. The nuke ban treaty: Now what? stimson.org

THURSDAY | DEC. 7

8:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Finding consensus for a new authorization for the use of military force with Reps. Mike Coffman, Ruben Gallego, Don Bacon and Jimmy Panetta. csis.org

10:30 a.m. Shared threats and a common purpose: U.S.-Romania missile defense cooperation with Romanian Ambassador George Cristian Maior. hudson.org

3 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Lessons from the Syria crisis: Old rivalries, new dynamics. press.org